Coos Bay – From April 14 to July 1, 2017 Coos Art Museum will be exhibiting the Expressions West 2017 juried painting competition. Artists from thirteen western states were invited to compete in this annual event. Juror Katherine Chang Liu selected sixty-five paintings by sixty-four artists residing in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.

The opening reception for Expressions West 2017 will take place on April 14 from 5 to 7 pm. The public is invited to attend. We anticipate that many of the participating artists will also be in attendance. An awards ceremony begins at 6 PM and Ms. Chang Liu will present the prize awards for the competition. The three prizes are $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place and $250 for the third place award. Honorable mentions will also be announced during the ceremony. We welcome all to come meet the artists and juror at the opening reception.

Juror Katherine Chang Liu, a Los Angeles based artist, combines abstractions with collaged elements to produce strong personal narratives and wonderful painterly works. She has been a museum co-curator, lecturer and teacher of considerable international influence. With her extensive background she has been the invited juror for over 80 national, regional and statewide exhibitions and competitions from coast to coast. She has exhibited in over 45 solo exhibitions including shows in Rome, Italy, Lyon, France and Copenhagen, Denmark. Among many awards she received the Lifetime Achievement Award, from Watercolor USA Honor Society. Her works are found in over 1100 public, private and corporate collections. Chang Liu will be conducting a walk through tour of Expressions West on Saturday April 15 at 1 PM followed by a tour/talk about Palimpsest an exhibition she shares with Eileen Senner. This program is free to the public and promises to be a very special event.

Coos Art Museum has been a cultural focal point of Oregon’s scenic Southern Coast since 1966. It occupies the historic 1936 Art Deco US Federal Building in downtown Coos Bay. The Museum offers a wide range of arts activities including exhibitions, art classes and lectures. Hours are 10:00am to 4:00pm, Tuesday through Friday and 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday. Museum admission: $5 general, $2 students, veterans and seniors, free to Museum members.